Connecting element comprising two members

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a connecting element between a support, in particular part of a motor vehicle body and a bearing part which is to be fixed onto said support. The connecting element comprises an outer part ( 1 ) which can be connected to the bearing part and an inner part ( 2 ) which is used in the assembly position to expand at least one section of the outer part ( 1 ) behind and/or in an opening of the support. The outer part ( 1 ) has an upper flange ( 10 ), containing centered internal toothing ( 11 ) which can be engaged by counter-toothing ( 21 ) in the inner part ( 2 ), when in the assembly position. The inner part ( 2 ) has at least one catch groove in a catch area between two cylindrical sections. At least one counter-catch of the outer part ( 1 ) is inserted into said catch groove in the assembly position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention is directed toward the art of connecting elements,and more particularly, to a connecting element extending between asupport member of a motor vehicle body and a bearing member which is tobe affixed onto the support member. The connecting element has an uppermember which is connectable with the bearing member and a lower memberwhich penetrates and extends through the upper member. In an assembledconfiguration, at least one portion of the upper member is expandedbehind or within an opening of the support member.

There are several established techniques for connecting motor vehiclebody support members and bearing or plate members together. For example,as seen in Patent Application DE 197 53 678.6, a neck-shapedintermediary section is provided between upper and lower parts whichpenetrate an interior area of an engagement element. The section isembedded into an opening in the support and expands behind the openingin the support. In another technique, a plastic clip is used whichestablishes a connection by impressing an upper section into a lowersection by engagement elements and thereby locks the two sectionstogether. (See Patent Application EP 0415509 A1) A problem with theseexisting techniques is that it is difficult to loosen the connectionsonce the parts are fastened together without possibly destroying one ormore of the connecting elements.

The state of the art described above is therefore limited. There remainsa need for a connecting element which can be assembled and disassembledeasily without destroying any of the components. Thus, it is desirableto provide a connecting element which allows for easy assembly anddisassembly without the need for destroying any connecting members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention provides a connecting element for connecting asupport member, in particular a motor vehicle body support member and abearing member or plate member which is to be fixed onto the supportmember. The connecting element includes an upper member which isconnectable with the bearing member and a lower member which penetratesthe upper member. In a preferred embodiment, the upper member has anupper flange with central internal toothing which can be engaged in anassembled position with counter toothing of the lower member. The uppermember further has a shaft extending downwardly from the upper flangewhich has slots. The shaft also has flexible sectors which have outertoothing. Conical sectors are provided on an inside surface of recesseswithin the shaft which form a narrow region forming a counter catch forreceiving the lower member.

The lower member further has a catch region having two cylindricalsectors with at least one recess therebetween which can be embeddedwithin the counter catch of the upper member. As a result, by using anassembly or disassembly tool, the connection formed can be loosenedbetween the upper and lower members and the catch region can exit thecounter catch. Thus, it is possible to disengage the connection elementfrom an opening in a support member without causing any damage to theupper and lower members.

In another aspect of the invention, counter toothing of the lower memberis located on a bottom side of an upper closing flange which includes atleast one engagement recess. The counter toothing is received within theinternal toothing of the upper member.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical portionextends from the lower member upper flange in a longitudinal direction.The catch region is formed on a lower end of the cylindrical portion.The catch region can have several catch recesses interposed betweencylindrical sectors along the circumference of the catch region. It ispreferable to have four cylindrical areas with four catch recessestherebetween.

According to another aspect of the invention, the catch region extendsinto a transition cone and a region having cross-sectional area in theshape of a cross. The cross-shaped region extends into a conical end ofthe lower member.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent upon a reading ofthe following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, the preferred embodiments of which will be described in detail inthe specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whichform a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an upper member of a connectingelement in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the upper member of the connecting elementillustrating a first and second preferred embodiment in right and lefthand views;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a lower member of the connectingelement in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the lower member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the connecting element includingthe lower member and upper member in a preassembled configuration inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the connecting element with thelower and upper members in an assembled configuration according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purposesfor illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention only and notfor purposes of limiting same, FIG. 1 shows an upper member 1 of aconnecting element assembly which is used to connect a support member,such as a support for a motor vehicle body, with a bearing member. Thebearing member can be a plate which is attached to the support member.The upper member 1 has an upper flange 10 comprising an internaltoothing 11 located within a central portion of the flange. The internaltoothing can preferably have a triangular shape in cross section. Theupper flange 10 is adjoined by a shaft 16 extending from the flange andwhich has at least one slot 14 preferably equally spaced on theperimeter of the shaft. The shaft further has a plurality of flexiblesectors 17 having outer toothing 20 extending along a longitudinal axisof the shaft. The outer toothing 20 can have a “pine tree bolt”configuration. However, the outer toothing 20 can also have other shapessuch as a spiral without departing from the scope and intent of thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shaft 16 further comprises a traversing recess32 which has a plurality of conical sectors 38 along a perimeter of therecess. The conical sectors taper into a lower, narrow region as shownin FIG. 1 to form a counter-catch 12. An inner taper or slot 35 isformed at a top surface of the recess 32 for receiving a lower member 2.The conical sectors 38 are illustrated in the right hand portion of FIG.2 according to a first embodiment.

Alternately, referring to the left hand portion of FIG. 2, anotherpreferred embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the shaft 16 has thetraversing recess 32 which has longitudinal ribs 40 extending inwardlytoward a center of the recess. These ribs also taper into a lower,narrow region which forms counter catch 12. At a bottom end, the shaft16 has a sloped region 19 formed below the flexible sector 17.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the connecting element further comprisesa lower member 2 in addition to upper member 1. The lower member 2includes an upper closing flange 22 and a cylindrical portion 18extending therefrom which has a catch region 15 at a lower end of thecylindrical portion. Closing flange 22 has on a top surface at least oneengagement recess 26 which receives a disassembly tool (not shown). On abottom surface, closing flange 22 has at least one counter tooth 21. Forexample, the counter teeth 21 can be diagonally opposed teeth. It shouldbe appreciated that other configurations of teeth would fall within thescope and intent of the present invention. The counter toothing 12 ofthe lower member engages the center inner toothing 11 of the uppermember.

Catch region 15 of lower member 2 includes a plurality of catch recesses24 along a circumferential direction which are equally spaced betweencylindrical sectors 28. Preferably, four cylindrical sectors 28 and fourcatch recesses 24 between the cylindrical sector are provided. Otherarrangements of sectors and recesses can be used without departing fromthe scope and intent of the present invention.

In a lower portion of the lower member, below and adjacent catch area15, a transition cone 30 includes a profile 33 which has a crosssectional area in the form of a cross and which adjoins a conical end36. The conical end and cone are adjacent to and extend below the catcharea 15 of lower member 2. An upper diameter of the conical end 36corresponds to the diameter of the cylindrical region 18.

Referring now to FIG. 5, for a preassembled configuration, the lowermember is inserted into the upper member such that an interior region ofthe transition cone 30 is located on a surface of the counter catch 12of the upper member. In this position, flange 22 of the lower memberextends above flange 10 of the upper member. Conical end 36 of lowermember 2 and the centering slope 19 of shaft 16 of upper member 1 formin the preassembled configuration a common, undetachable, conicallyshaped insert unit which provides for easy installation during insertioninto an opening of one or more support members (not shown). The openingsof the support members can be arranged coaxially. It should be notedthat this configuration can be used with other combinations of elementsto be fastened together.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, to assemble the upper and lower memberstogether, pressure is applied onto the closing flange 22 of the lowermember until the closing flange 22 is embedded into a recess of flange10 of the upper member and is generally flush with the flange 10. Then,the connecting element upper and lower members are connected with eachother.

In a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, closing flange22 of the lower member has at least one tooth 42 which is adapted toengage center inner toothing 11 of flange 10 of the upper member.

Referring again to FIG. 6, during final assembly of the upper and lowermembers, conical end 36, cross shape profile 33, and transition cone 30protrude beyond an outer surface of shaft 16. In this position, catchrecesses 24 of the lower member embed themselves into the correspondingcounter-catches 12 of the upper member and secure the upper and lowermembers together. As is apparent from FIG. 6, flexible sector 17 ofshaft 16 expands outwardly in the assembled configuration to secure theconnecting element within an opening.

To disassemble the upper and lower members from each other, adisassembly tool (not shown) is inserted into engagement recess 26. Thedisassembly tool can for example could be a screwdriver or a coin whichcauses the lower member to rotate in a counter clockwise direction withrespect to upper member. Movement in quarter rotation for example wouldbring into contact cooperating surfaces of counter tooth 21 of lowermember 2 and inner toothing 11 of upper member 1. This causes a reversemovement in the longitudinal direction of the lower member anddisengagement of the catch recess 24 from counter-catch 12. This resultsin the flexible sector 17 returning from the expanded position shown inFIG. 6 to the unexpanded position shown in FIG. 5. At this point, theentire connecting element can be removed from the support opening(s) byexerting a pulling force on flange 10 or flange 22. Thus, the connectingelement can be removed from the support opening by pulling on only thelower member or by pulling on the upper member and lower membertogether.

The invention has been described above with reference to the preferredembodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur toothers upon a reading and understanding the specification. Theconnecting element allows secure fastening inside of support opening,preassembly with undetachable parts as well as disassembly, which can beperformed without resulting in destroying members of the connectingelement. It is intended to include all such modifications andalterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claimsor the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connecting element for use between a supportmember of a motor vehicle body and a bearing member to be fixed onto thesupport member, said connecting element comprising: an upper memberwhich attaches to the bearing member and a lower member traversing saidupper member where, in assembled position, at least a portion of theupper member is expanded within or behind an opening of the supportmember; the upper member including an upper flange and a shaft havingouter toothed projections and a catch portion formed at a lower end ofthe shaft; and, the lower member including a catch recess at a lower endcomprising cylindrical sectors having at least one catch recessinterposed therebetween; wherein said catch portion of the upper memberis embedded within said catch recess and said outer toothed projectionsengage said opening of said support member when said upper member andlower member are assembled together.
 2. The connecting element of claim1, wherein said upper member further comprises a shaft including slotsalong an outer end of said shaft, said slots comprise flexible sectorswhich have outer toothed projections, said shaft is disposed adjacent tosaid upper flange.
 3. The connecting element of claim 2, wherein saidshaft further comprises a recess within an inner portion of said shaft,said recess comprising a plurality of conical sectors which taper intosaid catch portion for receiving said lower member.
 4. The connectingelement of claim 1, wherein said lower member comprises an upper closingflange and at least one engagement recess within said upper closingflange for engaging an associated disassembly tool.
 5. The connectingelement of claim 4, wherein said lower member further comprises anelongated cylindrical portion adjacent to said upper closing flange. 6.The connecting element of claim 5, wherein said cylindrical portioncomprises a catch area at a lower end, said catch area extends around acircumference of said cylindrical portion, and said catch area comprisesat least one catch recess disposed between a plurality of cylindricalsectors.
 7. The connecting element of claim 6, wherein said catch areacomprises four cylindrical sectors and four catch recesses disposedbetween said cylindrical sectors.
 8. The connecting element of claim 6,wherein said lower member further comprises a transition cone formedbelow said catch area, a cross sectional circular profile adjacent saidcone, and a conical end positioned below said profile and cone.
 9. Aconnecting element for use in connecting an associated bearing memberwith an associated support member, the connecting element comprising: anupper member attachable to the bearing member and including an upperflange having central inner projections, a catch portion formed at alower end of the upper member, and a shaft including longitudinal slotsalong an end of the shaft, the slots comprising flexible sectors whichhave outer projections, the shaft being disposed adjacent to said upperflange and wherein said shaft further includes a recess within an innerportion of said shaft, said recess including a plurality of longitudinalribs disposed within said recess and extending toward a center of saidshaft, and, a lower member operable with said upper member wherein, inan assembled position, at least a portion of the upper member isexpanded within or behind an opening of the support member, the lowermember including a counter-projections at an upper end and a catch areaat a lower end comprising cylindrical sectors having at least one catchrecess interposed therebetween, wherein said catch portion of the uppermember is embedded within said catch recess and said counter-projectionsengage said inner projections when said upper member and lower memberare assembled together in said assembled position and wherein said ribsform said catch portions for receiving said lower member.
 10. Theconnecting element of claim 9, wherein said shaft includes a centeringslope disposed adjacent said flexible sectors.
 11. The connectingelement of claim 10, wherein said conical end of said lower member andsaid centering slope of said shaft of said upper member are adapted tobe preassembled to form said connecting element.
 12. The connectingelement of claim 11, wherein said lower member is adapted for insertionwithin an opening of said shaft to a position whereat said upper closingflange is received within a recess of said upper flange to form anassembled configuration.
 13. The connecting element of claim 12, whereinsaid flexible sector is adapted to expand outwardly from said shaft whensaid upper and lower members are in the assembled configuration.
 14. Theconnecting element of claim 11, wherein said connecting element isselectively removable from an associated support opening via one of theupper member and lower member.
 15. A connecting element for use betweenan associated support member and an associated bearing member to befixed onto the support member, said connecting element comprising: anupper element which attaches to the bearing member and a lower membertraversing said upper member; said upper member including: an upperflange having a central internal toothing, a catch member formed at alower end of said upper member, and a shaft disposed below said upperflange and including a plurality of flexible sectors carrying aplurality of outer projections adapted to engage said associated supportmember; and, said lower member (2) comprises a catch area disposed belowsaid counter toothing and cylindrical sectors with at least one catchrecess (24) extending therebetween, said catch member of said uppermember embedding, in an assembled position of said connecting element,into said catch recess.
 16. The connecting element of claim 15, whereinsaid shaft further comprises a continuous recess disposed within aninner portion of said shaft, said recess comprises a plurality ofconical sectors which form a narrow region forming said catch memberwhich receives said lower member.
 17. The connecting element of claim15, wherein said shaft comprises at a lower end a centering slope. 18.The connecting element of claim 17, wherein said lower member comprisesa conical end disposed at a lower end thereof, said conical end engagessaid centering slope of said shaft to form a preassembled connectionelement.
 19. A connecting element for connecting an associated supportmember with an associated bearing member, said connecting elementcomprising: an upper element adapted to attach to the bearing member andincluding: an upper flange having a central internal projection, a catchportion formed at a lower end of said upper member, and a shaft disposedbelow said upper flange, said shaft including a plurality of flexiblesectors comprising outer projections wherein said shaft comprises on aninner surface a continuous recess comprising a plurality of longitudinalribs which form a narrow area forming said counter catch; and, a lowermember including: a counter projection and a catch area disposed belowsaid counter projection and comprising cylindrical sectors with at leastone catch recess extending therebetween, said catch portion of saidupper member being embedded in an assembled position into said catchrecess.
 20. A connecting element for connecting an associated supportmember with an associated bearing, the connecting element comprising: anupper member including: an upper flange, a shaft extending from theupper flange and defining flexible sectors, the flexible sectorscarrying a plurality of outer projections extending outwardly from theshaft, recess defined through an inner portion of said shaft, a countercatch member at a lower end of said shaft, and a counter catch member ata lower end of said shaft, said counter catch member being formed by aportion of said shaft tapering into said recess, and a lower memberselectively receivable in said recess of said upper member, the lowermember including: an upper closing flange, and an elongated cylindricalleg having a major smooth upper area and a catch area at a lower end,said catch area comprising at least one catch recess adapted to receivesaid counter catch member of said upper member when the lower member isreceived within said recess to expand said flexible sectors outwardlyfrom said shaft for securing said plurality of outer projections carriedon said shaft against an opening formed in the associated support memberto connect the associated support member with the associated bearing.